What's your story?

There are many metaphors for life.

Running the race.
Traveling on a journey.
Sailing the course.

My favourite has to be that our lives are a story.

There is a beginning...we are born.
There is a middle...we live.
And there is an end...you guessed it, we die.

YET, your story doesn't have to seem so standard, cookie-cutter, or so depressingly final.

If you believe at all in God, know that He loves you and He thought about you before you were born.
 Your beginning wasn't just some random dot on a timeline.
 God knew you before you began.

And if you believe in a heaven then you know that if you've chosen to trust God and grow close to Him, we will live forever in His amazing presence.
 Our end isn't stuck here in an aging world.

As for the middle?

Well, we are living it everyday.
Like the lyrics above tell us, all the little things that you've stumbled over, all those walls you've smacked up against, all the pits and holes along the way, they just become a part of your story.
They are not the end.
They don't define you and what and who you are.
They are footnotes, character flaws that make us unique.

Whatever you are searching for, or whatever path you are on, it doesn't have to be final.
You can change your mind.
You can find peace and love and wholeness.

It's not a calling to an easy life.
You will be set apart and mocked and looked down upon.
But those are just pages in your story. 
They are not the focus.

Centre yourself around what really matters.
Find your way in this muddled up world towards something greater than our selfish tendencies.
We can try to be 'good' until we exhaust every volunteer or donation opportunity but that simply isn't enough.

We need to find our way to the love of God.

You may read my blog and not agree with me. That's ok.
I just think it's time I shared what I believe.
I want to make sure it's clear.
And I care enough about all of you to make sure you know about it, too.



My life is nowhere near what I thought it would be.
And that's ok.

If I was no longer alive tomorrow I know it would not be the end.
I have a faith, a trust and a hope in something greater than myself.

You can have it, too.

What do you hold onto? 
What's YOUR story?

Out Of Hiding (Father's Song)
by Steffany Gretzinger

Come out of hiding, you’re safe here with me
There’s no need to cover what I already see
You’ve got your reasons, but I hold your peace
You’ve been on lockdown and I hold the key

Cause I loved before you knew what was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles my victory’s yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There’s no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You’re not far from home

And I’ll be your lighthouse when you’re lost at sea
And I will illuminate everything
No need to be frightened by intimacy
Just throw off your fear and come running to m

And oh as you run, what hindered love
Will only become part of the story 

Baby you’re almost home now
Please don’t quit now
You’re almost home to me 

My Love for Movie Music!

If you know me at all, you know that I love movies!

Comedy, action, adventure, sc-fi, drama, documentary...I love them all.

There are very few and far between films that I don't like for one reason or another. (I should post about that list sometime!)

But today I want to talk about my favourite Movie Soundtracks!

A lot goes into making a movie and the score or song selection has a lot to do with how what we are watching makes us feel.

Here are a few of my favourite albums, in random order, and highlighted picks from among their track listings. (Believe me, I have many more favourites but here's the short-list.)

GREEN!

Happy St. Patrick' Day!!

Music to My Life

Recently I've played a few amusing games on facebook and via e-mail where you fill in some sort of form with either random questions about yourself, or you 'google' you name and fill out funny ends of sentences, or you shuffle your music in iTunes and randomly assign the each song that comes up to a part of your life, as if it were your life's soundtrack.

This last game proved to be quite funny and surprising.

For example, my Opening Credits would be "Little Boxes" by Melvina Reynolds, and if you've been awake in the last 3 years you'd know this is the theme song for the TV show "Weeds". No, my life has nothing to do with the plot of Weeds, but the theme song seems appropriate.

A few other funny coincidences were as follows:
Falling in Love: We are Broken - Paramore
Prom: Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Life: Me Against the World - Simple Plan
Final Battle: I Get Knocked Down - Chumbawumba

Now, this really doesn't predict anything true about my life, it's just a fun game to play to see what comes up.



However, of all the thousands of music tracks I have in my iTunes folders, and of all the CDs I've made or playlists created, I do have a few favourite bands that I seem to turn to when I'm sick of the radio with Top 40 hits, or popular songs from the 80s and 90s, or even from our local stations that play new artists. These comforting favourite bands keep putting out new albums that continue to speak to me in a way music should, deep down to the depths of my fears, my sadness but also my joys.

 Here are my Top 4 all time favourite artists/bands, in no order:

Coldplay - I've loved them ever since I was introduced to the song "Yellow" BEFORE it was ever played on the radio. I had a friend who always followed new British bands and found these guys long before Yellow was overplayed. He sent me a link to their website and back then, I remember instantly connecting to their haunting melodies and different, interesting sound. The lyrics, too, to every song on their Parachutes album, spoke to me. Every song on that album tugs at my emotions when one is played. I can even pinpoint the memory of where I was when I first heard them. Now after several albums, their newest venture Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends again amazes me with the risks they take and conquer. I cannot wait for their next new and fresh sound.

Snow Patrol - I first heard one of their songs on the popular show Grey's Anatomy...many of you will remember the season finale where one of the characters has to deal with the death of a loved one, and the song that wove it's way into that tearful moment. After the show that night, I quickly looked up the songs used in the episode and found Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars". After finding their albums, I was glued to the sounds they created and I studies their lyrics, eager to know what they were all about. Their first two albums, Final Straw and Eyes Open both breathed new life into my music lists. I listened to them until I knew every song from the first few notes. And now their newest album, A Hundred Million Suns, has me adding them to my list of new CDs to make to listen in my car. (I do have an iPod input, but my driving trips are so short, it's not worth the effort to plug it all in unless I'm driving longer distances. CDs are still my preferred choice of medium for car listening, along with satellite and local radio.)

Secondhand Serenade - Along with my new car last year, I signed up for satellite radio and quickly bookmarked a few good stations. One played the most voted on Top 20 songs, constantly changing after listeners call in to vote for their favourites. I soon heard a new song "Fall for You" and I mentally noted it to look up later. I then found Secondhand Serenade, not a band but the solo project by John Vesely, so he could either play alone or with any number of band members. His two albums were quickly added to my playlists and became instant favourites...every single song. I also love the concept of his work, he writes and sings his music for his wife, where they are the firsthand serenade, then for us, his fans they are the secondhand serenade. Many of his songs I would consider true background music for the real soundtrack of my life. Songs like "Half Alive", "Broken", "Maybe", "Why", "Pretend" and "A Twist in My Story" will always be on my playlist.

The Fray - I have just become familiar with this band after liking what I've heard both on the radio and on TV shows where a few of their recent tracks have appeared. So far, their unique sound and the meaning behind their lyrics have caught my ear and kept me interested to hear more. I look forward to learning more about them. Oh and I love their video for "How to Save a Life".

Twisted Carol

Oh my.
You will not believe this until you watch it!
WATCH IT!! So Funny!!

New Favourites

 

New Favourite show: "What About Brian" - the last single guy in a group of married friends...yes an homage to the ill-fated and short-lived comedy sitcom "The Single Guy", yet this show is more drama and seriousness about lost love, unrequited feelings, awkward situations, disappointments, missed chances, holding back, letting go....heck it sounds like a scene from my own personal made-for TV movie.

Anyway, I've only just started catching up on Season One but so far...love it.

New Favourite Song and Band: "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie.

I down*cough*loaded DCfC's discography and so far am enthralled with everything I hear. Wonderful lyrics, melodies that wash over my memory all day, musically they are lovely.

If I ever have my own made-for TV movie...they will be on the soundtrack!

~ K

PS - My Rss feed for downloading show kick major a$$!!! Weeds just dl-ed in about 5 minutes!!